"The two best players in the world" – Neymar in awe of Real Madrid duo after historic 15th UEFA Champions League win
Brazil forward Neymar has heaped huge praise on his compatriots Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo after Real Madrid's record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League triumph this Saturday (June 1).
Los Blancos, who lifted the La Liga and the Supercopa de Espana trophies earlier this year, beat Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League final at Wembley. After a lacklustre display in the first half, they turned the tables in the second half.
Dani Carvajal opened the scoring after meeting Toni Kroos' corner-kick in the 74th minute of the clash. Vinicius secured the win for Real Madrid after converting Jude Bellingham's pass in the 83rd minute of the tie.
After the end of the Champions League final, Neymar sent a message to his Brazil teammates on Instagram. He posted an image of Vinicius and Rodrygo celebrating Real Madrid's second goal and captioned:
"Congratulations my boys, very happy for you. The two best players in the world!!"
Vinicius, who also netted a goal in the Champions League final in 2022, is deemed to be one of the favorites to notch the Ballon d'Or award this year. The 23-year-old registered 24 goals and 11 assists in 39 appearances across competitions for Los Blancos last season.
Rodrygo, on the other hand, also relished an excellent campaign playing alongside Vinicius in a 4-4-2 diamond system. He scored 17 goals and provided nine assists in 51 overall games for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Carlo Ancelotti claims he admonished Real Madrid superstar at half time this Saturday
Speaking to Movistar, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti asserted that he gave Vinicius Junior a talking to at half time in the Champions League final. He said (h/t Metro):
"I scolded him a little because in the first half, we were a little lazy and we had losses that we normally haven't had. [Borussia Dortmund] played how they wanted and they were very dangerous."
Shedding light on his team talk during the break, Ancelotti concluded:
"I didn't need to get angry. I needed to clarify a few things because it was pretty clear how Dortmund wanted to play. They played a fantastic game in transition and we lost our balance a bit and we had to manage their transition better. We lost many balls in the opponent's half and we thought changing the system would be better for us and concentrate a few more players in midfield."
Earlier this Saturday, Vinicius completed 21 of 27 passes and eight of 13 dribbles, recorded one shot on target, and won 14 of 23 total duels.
Vinicius will next be in action for Brazil in their friendly matches against Mexico this Saturday (June 8) and the United States four days later.